At a time when more than 32,000 people are on waiting lists for long-term care in Ontario, the province says it will spend $115 million over the next three years to create thousands of new beds and increase staffing levels.

Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement in Hamilton Tuesday, laying out the government’s 20-point plan — called Aging with Confidence — to bolster services for the province’s senior population.

The announcement included 5,000 new long-term care beds by 2021-22, with a pledge to build a total of 30,000 over the next decade in an effort to reduce waiting lists.

While the announcement of new beds was being welcomed, the province’s promise to “increase the provincial average to four hours of direct care per resident per day” was met with skepticism by some.

“We are happy the premier and ministry of health have finally recognized the need to increase hours of hands-on care for seniors in long-term care homes, but sadly today’s announcement is not what it seems,” said Candace Rennick, the secretary-treasurer of CUPE Ontario.

Four hours of hands-on care a day in long-term care is widely considered a minimum standard, but it is not met in Ontario homes. City-run long-term care homes in Ottawa, for example, provide 2.6 hours a day of direct care to residents, according to Janice Burrell, the city’s general manager of programs and social services. Other long-term care homes in the city average about 3.1 hours.

Current staffing levels at the homes mean workers are rushed, stressed and often unable to help residents when they should. Critics say understaffing erodes the quality of life of residents, who often become incontinent and lose mobility while in long-term care. It is also linked with growing frustration by residents and staff.

Currently, long-term care residents in Ontario receive an average of 3.5 paid hours of direct care per resident per day, according to Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care calculations.

However, CUPE and others say the government’s calculation of paid hours overestimates the amount of actual hands-on care because it includes things like vacation pay and sick leave.

Still, Grace Welch, chair of the advocacy committee for the Champlain Region Family Council Network, called it a good news story.

“I am very pleased they are investing more into long-term care and I am glad there is going to be more care, even if it is not as much as we are asking for. It is still going to be an improvement over what we have.”

Last week, a private member’s bill from NDP health critic France Gélinas that would legislate four-hour minimums of direct care in long-term care homes passed second reading at Queen’s Park with all-party support. Gélinas said she will continue to push that bill to become law, fearing Wednesday’s announcement might be election promises. The government gave no timeframe for the four hours of care pledge.

The only legal guarantees of care in Ontario long-term care homes are one on-site nurse 24 hours a day and two baths a week per resident. Canada has the lowest care levels among similar countries, says CUPE, and Ontario has the lowest in Canada.

The government has been under growing pressure to do something about staffing levels and waiting lists for provincial long-term care homes. More than 3,600 people are waiting for one of the 7,500 licensed long-term care beds in the Champlain region, which includes Ottawa, alone.

There are more than 78,000 people living in long-term care homes in the province. The majority are over 85. Almost three-quarters have some form of dementia and the majority have mobility issues, according to CUPE.

More than 70,000 Ontarians have signed petitions and contacted MPPs in recent weeks asking the government to mandate daily minimum hours of care in long-term care homes, which are widely considered understaffed and under pressure across the province.

The plan will also see the government spend $17 million a year to provide a new high dose flu vaccine, starting in 2018, with the goal of specifically protecting seniors from the illness.

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